Exemplary embodiments disclosed herein relate generally to engine assemblies, and more particularly to a thermoplastic blocker door that may be utilized with an engine assembly.
Engine assemblies may include a fan assembly, a core gas turbine engine enclosed in an annular core cowl, and a fan nacelle that surrounds a portion of the core gas turbine engine. The fan nacelle is generally spaced radially outward from the annular core cowl such that the core cowl and the fan nacelle form a fan duct terminating in a fan exit nozzle. At least some engine assemblies include a thrust reverser assembly. The thrust reverser assembly may include a first fixed cowl and a second cowl that is axially translatable with respect to the first cowl. At least some thrust reverser assemblies include blocker doors or panels that are actively moved into the bypass duct as the thrust reverser is deployed through drag links or other mechanical means to block or impede the flow of bypass air through the fan exit nozzle. The bypass fan air may be diverted to provide reverse thrust for example through a series of turning vanes disposed in a cascade box.
At least some known blocker doors are fabricated from upper and lower skins that surround an aluminum honeycomb core coupled to the skins by an adhesive. The honeycomb core may include a denser portion for structural reasons and a less dense portion subject to less structural loads. Additionally, the denser honeycomb core portion may be filled in with a potting compound to enable the honeycomb core to sustain higher loads. However, in addition to increasing the weight of the blocker door, the potting compound has an undesirable effect on the sound attenuation characteristics of the honeycomb core.